Graveyard

[lesmodsalouette]

Graveyard

The garden is still sprawling and green – despite having entirely lost all its riotous flowers and colors, along with any sign of wildlife or birdsong – though one thing stands out more than anything else: from Monday to Thursday, you can’t see the castle anymore. All that remains where it once stood (or perhaps, usually stands) is an incongruously large tree that towers over everything else and somehow looks larger and more imposing than the castle ever did. The tree’s branches are bare, without any hint of life nor leaf – however, on the weekends (that is to say, Friday through Sunday) a faint projection of the castle appears around it, cradling the only things that the denizens of this alternate garden can see in detail from the other side: the flurry of activity around the investigation, the circus-like dimension that holds the trial, and the mirrors and the grassy dimension that display the execution.

For those curious what the land of the living are up to, a mirage-like and upside-down reflection of the castle garden in its original arrangement can be spotted occasionally overlaying the sky. This strange illusion may sometimes show those in the garden on the other side, flitting in and out of view like stray clouds; but much like the weather, their appearance is mercurial – they cannot be reached and cannot be heard.

Water, Flower, Everywhere

The fountains remain active somehow, though their features seem to have eroded, obscuring the identities of the deities and the wings of the birds, cracking pottery down into nothing but worn shards and handles. At night, only maybe half the lights work (and here they are real candlelight, rather than magical), plunging most of the garden into crepuscular darkness. The trellis walkway looks quite overgrown (mysteriously, bamboo is taking over), entirely covering some statues and other features along its length, and it’s no longer walkable – a miniature canal runs the whole length underneath the arches, feeding into other new waterways around the garden that cut off footpaths seemingly at random. There are small footbridges here and there, but the lack of logic to the whole arrangement makes falling into one of the streams or canals a real hazard.

The waterways do all manage to converge at the pond by the pavilion – neither of which are all that soothing or classical anymore. The pond is only half-full, and entirely lacks water lilies or any dragonflies; its banks sit jagged above the dark waters, and perhaps that’s why the pavilion, too, is half collapsed down into it all. Gone are the curtains and ivies; only dead curling vines and half-collapsed columns are left, but there’s still someplace to sit if you put your mind to it.

Most of the flowerbeds sit fallow or overtaken by weeds – there’s signs here and there that someone might have tried to clear them out, but the bulk of the effort seems to have gone to the orchard by the gardener’s cottage. It might be more accurate to say cottages, given that there are a few of them dotted around that area for some reason. None of them are locked, but all of them have only minimal furnishings apart from the original; they’re also all provided with the full complement of gardener’s tools. Next to them, there are new saplings and half-grown flowering trees: some pear and apple, but also some not. There are new shoots in the kitchen orchard that have just barely taken root, the dirt recently turned.

Hedge Maze(?)

The other most eye-catching feature is what once was an ornamental hedge maze: instead of being a tame height here, it has seemingly grown wild and completely unchecked, towering above the rest of the garden almost like its own overgrown mountain. The hedge walls go up and up and up, making it entirely impossible to see the center or even how far it goes despite the fact that sections of the hedges have also died, reduced to the branches underneath, bristling with interlocked thorns.

Part of it had even spilled over into the garden itself, huge gnarled branches spreading out like burnt-blackened fingers all the way to the edge of the pond – wherever the branches touch, even the greenery is withered, and any statues look more ruined than those in the rest of the area. As of the end of Week 3, however, the branches have retracted entirely and the way into the hedge maze has opened even more. However, there is now a storm brewing over what might be the center or the general area of it. Getting close to the hedge maze or any of the hedge(?) branches is... unpleasant, though it doesn’t usually go beyond a buzz of wrongness and a slight headache.

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Comments

[allrounder]

[ Heh. The little pun was a hit and he takes his hands with ease, squeezing them as he pulls himself up.

G’raha pauses, still holding onto his hands. ]

…My energy?

[siffriend]

You haven't been able to keep your hands off me.

[ As if Siffrin's any better. Not letting go even now, leading him to the cherry blossom tree where the castle normally sits. ]

The climb might tire you out better than I could.

[allrounder]

[ He’s pulled along without complaint, but he does practically gape at Siffrin, even if they don’t look back to see it. ]

You initiated it!

[siffriend]

I don't remember kissing first.

[ Nevermind the need for a "fee" being the root. This is as bad as boldly eating stolen food, truly. ]

[allrounder]

[ Wow, the ceaseless bullying! His embarrassment tends to pass quickly enough once it hits, at least, so he lets go of Siffrin's hand so he can get a little bit of a running start to that tree. ]

You requested it, however. I daresay that counts.

[siffriend]

[ Siffrin's fast, but they take a more leisurely pace by choice; eyeing G'raha, waiting for a moment to strike as they keep casual conversation up. ]

You could've denied me.

[allrounder]

We both know full well you would have taken your fee one way or another.

[ When he gets close, G’raha quickly leaps up onto the tree, easily finding his footing. It’s been a long time, but he used to climb trees as a kid constantly.

And sometimes as an adult, but that’s neither here nor there. ]

[siffriend]

You make me sound like a villain, not a hero.

[ But it's true anyway, and Siffrin works his way up after. Just fast enough to be near-gained, but not quite. He's more used to ambush hunting, but... a chase is fun too. Even if the prey doesn't know it. ]

The right answer is that I'm impossible to deny.

[ Something he'll never live down, apparently!!! ]

[allrounder]

[ He nearly loses his footing, gripping onto a branch so that he doesn't fall. ]

You...

[ Give him a second. Breathe in, breathe out. ]

Will never let me forget that, will you?

[siffriend]

[ He laughs, reaching up to swat G'raha's tail. Hi.

And bye, as they exceed him momentarily to rest on the branch he's holding onto. ]

Do you want me to?

[allrounder]

[ Wow, low blow with the tail! But it flicks in an attempt to get of out Siffrin's reach. ]

You will do as you please.

[ So... it's up to Siffrin, which is probably the worst answer to give him. With a little bit of maneuvering, G'raha launches himself up onto that same branch too, figuring it's sturdy enough for the both of them to rest on, even if only for a moment.

He swings his legs. ]

As a child, I would climb trees, pretending as if I was some sort of hero lying in wait to take down a villain. The girls my age did not take kindly to when I would swing down to "save" them.

[siffriend]

[ Yeah, it's something unforgettable. G'raha joins them for the moment and Siffrin resists leanings against him, for now, because then they wouldn't make it to the top. He huffs a quiet bit of laughter at that. ]

You were a rascal. [ Just not the sneaking into places he didn't belong rascal. ] What'd you "save" them from? Bugs?

[allrounder]

[ His smile turns sheepish. ]

Imaginary threats.

[ Yeah, he’s basically admitting to LARPing and Siffrin will use this as fuel for their teasing, but he doesn’t mind. ]

I was… known for getting caught up in my heroic fantasies.

[siffriend]

[ (You understand why Raha couldn't turn his gaze from you.) ]

... Feel free to drop from the sky anytime with me, hero. I'll play with you. [ Siffrin can LARP too. ] Unless you think you're too old now.

[allrounder]

[ He flushes, light and pink and maybe something Siffrin can kind of see.

Somehow, that offer is more embarrassing than anything he’s heard from him. ]

You… Well. Of course I am far too old for that now. [ His fingers grip at the bark of the tree trunk. ] The role of a damsel in distress does not suit you anyway.

[siffriend]

[ After [redacted]??? Wow. ]

No? I look pretty good in a dress, though.

[ (You have been missing them, lately...) ]

And I've seen enough plays to know the part. [ A softer sigh, hand going to their chest playfully. ] "Oh, my beloved knight, how I await for thee atop this lonesome tower, this heart of mine aching in its yearning to see thy visage amongst the briar cast far below..."

[allrounder]

[ He looks at Siffrin in his periphery, still embarrassed, as a little smile settles on his lips. ]

A part most unsuited to you nevertheless. You are more akin to the rogue, sneaking into the tower for adventure and finding the princess lying in wait, where you make the decision to save her anyway.

[ Though a dress can still apply here, and he’d like to see it.

And if any of that overlaps with Shrek, no it doesn’t. ]

[siffriend]

[ Hmmmm!

Siffrin'll go up another level, swinging down on their legs to be more in his face. Cute... A shade darker, if only slight. ]

And if I'd like to be one anyway? The princess can be aching for a reason to get out, you know.

[allrounder]

[ He leans back almost reflexively, only because he’s flustered, but recovers enough that he leans back in. ]

Would you? Or would you look for a reason all on your own?

[ Dangerous territory, here… but he won’t touch the subject of The Loops right now and his theory. ]

Surely you know how to pick a lock.

[siffriend]

[ Very dangerous, and Siffrin watches him for a beat before sticking out their tongue childishly. ]

You're one to talk, Raha. I can't imagine you sitting and waiting for anything or anyone now.

[ Yeah, they can pick locks. Better to keep some cards close to your chest. ]

Travelers have a hard time settling down, anyway.

[ Staying in one spot, be it a tower or not. Has nothing to do with loops.

... But he might've just gotten used to handling things on his own since he hadn't anyone to rely on until recently. ]

[allrounder]

[ He doesn’t say anything to that, simply because that would be treading dangerous waters again. Siffrin knows he waited, and he knows that he waited for a century. Before all of this, he would have done it again, gladly.

Now… it’s murkier, more complicated. ]

Do they? I prefer to stay in one spot for a while, so I do hope you prepare yourself for that.

[ He has promises to fulfill, such as rebuilding the reputation of his school.

Besides, maybe Siffrin would like being surrounded by nerds. ]

[siffriend]

[ ...

Swinging back up expertly, though they don't climb higher yet. The answer is idle, that distant sort of tone that denotes more to it than the words he says. ]

Can't say I remember how.

[ (Even Vaugarde doesn't feel like home. It's why you've always called it by name, or say that you have to go back. Just never... go back home, because it doesn't exist.) ]

At least you'll already be used to not having me around. Small blessings, huh?

[allrounder]

[ His gaze follows them and stays, looking for signs of an expression Siffrin won’t let him see. That tone is more than enough, though, and he fights the urge to dig into it. ]

Come now, I would not say that is a blessing.

[ Being used to anything sad isn’t a blessing. It means he’s had to learn to carry the weight of it. ]

Our next meeting will sneak up on us. Time will pass quickly, and before you or I know it, we will be in one another’s vicinity yet again. We may even sit on another tree, perhaps, or on a cliffside overlooking the ocean.

[siffriend]

[ (You think that'll be nice, when The Witch keeps his end of the bargain.

...

You don't remind him that time will pass quickly, or at all, for him alone.) ]

You're so kissable when you talk like that.

[allrounder]

[ His tail puffs, swishing in the air, and he looks away from Siffrin. Thank god he’s above G’raha right now. ]

I… am merely speaking of what I hope will come to pass.